Southampton have already put Arsenal out of one cup competition this season (Image: Getty)

Puel, who stepped down at Nice after steering them to a fourth place finish in Ligue 1 last season, said: “We spoke together before I signed with Southampton, and with important decisions Arsene can always give good advice with his experience.

"Now we are rivals.

“I have a lot of respect for my former trainer. It was a pleasure to see him again for the first game in the cup.

“We came away thanks to a strong will with a good result.”

Southampton are on a high after Wednesday’s shock EFL Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool.

Puel says the ecstasy of Wednesday night at Anfield has to be set aside now (Image: Reuters)

But booking their place at Wembley has come at a price with nine players on the injured list, including captain Virgil van Dijk and strike pair Jay Rodriguez and Charlie Austin.

Romania international defender Florin Gardos is on standby to make his first appearance since injuring a knee in 2015, as Puel tries to save players for Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Swansea.

“It was a great performance at Liverpool but now it’s finished," the Frenchman said. "It’s about coming back in the FA Cup against a great opponent. It will be important to play a great game with a good result.

“This is a competition we want to continue in. It’s difficult with tired legs and all the injuries.

Forgotten man Gardos last played for Saints in late February 2015 (Image: Getty)

"Arsenal didn’t play this week and can give all their energy for this game. They have a strong squad with a lot of possibilities. We don’t have Charlie Austin, Van Dijk, James Ward-Prowse or Rodriguez for this game. That is almost a whole team.

“We’ve played three games more in January than Arsenal, without recovery and with a lot of injuries. This is difficult.

“We’re now the team who has played most games since the beginning of the season. It’s a young club with young players and they have played all these games. It’s crazy.

“It is important for me to protect young players against injuries. The priority all the time is to try and keep a good balance with the team.

“Rotation is difficult with nine injured players. But when we played Arsenal earlier in the season we won 2-0 with a lot of young players, so I don’t accept playing these players means we will have a weakened team.”